A Change of Pace - Raids 117 - 119 - Level 20

Killing 10 PMCs on Shoreline for the last part of Punisher 4 is not going well.  I'm five raids in. In four of the raids I encountered no other players, even though I was hanging out in the resort for two of them. In my last raid, I was headshot just after stepping onto the resort grounds.  Awesome.

I'm going to try something different. Return to Customs and try running the Pharmacist quest in which I pick up a package from room 114 in the two story dorms building.

Raid 117 - Awesome

Loadout: Ash-12 with some ten round mags of PS12B, and one twenty round mag of PS12 (for CQB), meds, ears. Extra ammo and key 114 in my secure container.

Spawned in at Smugglers. This is one of the three closest spawns to Dorms. I made sure my laser was on and the weapon ranged and headed out. I didn't run to dorms but walked directly there.  The scavs starting bait shotting as I went. 

As I approached three story dorms, I dropped in a bush to listen for a second - to listen for other players, Reshala, whatever. Boom! Boom! Boom! That sounded like shots coming straight at me, from inside dorms. I ran. Boom! and breaking glass and I'm dead to a headshot from M80.

Time In Raid: 1 minute, 55 seconds
Exp: 0
Killed by: fgjkdf

Mistakes

• I was surprised that someone had gotten into three story dorms before I'd even arrived. 
• I think fkjkdf was firing at me from inside the dorms building, his shots hitting the wall. Once I moved (and maybe he did too) then his shot went through the window killing me.  Does anyone have a theory about how he might have aimed at me through the wall? and such accuracy!

Raid 118 - I Choose Flight

Loadout: Ash-12 again and Class 4 armor, etc.

As I loaded into the raid I had the nagging feeling I was forgetting something. Entered the raid on the Power Tower hill. I took shelter in a bush and waited for the scavs to start bait shotting. I don't have a good plan. I think I'll wander around the map a little, maybe kill some scavs, and then head over to dorms. But not too late, because I didn't bring any food and drink. Maybe I'll find some.

There seemed to be auto weapon fire at New Gas, so I bore there. But when I got there it was empty. No scavs, no players. Where had that weapon fire originated? In the industrial area?  Now what?

I wandered over to the bus station, but there was no one there either, which is surprising.  I headed to dorms. I went to the big rock behind two story dorms and listened. The south side first floor door is open. Hmm. I advanced. I peeked down the door fast, but didn't catch sight of anyone. I know better than to loiter in front of those windows, so I ran to the front door, but as I did I could hear a player moving in the building, seemingly on an intercept course. I ran past the entry way, glancing inside as I did, spun around, and ran back. I went by the south door again, noticing blood on the ground. I ran up the fire escape and back down again - then peeked the south door, fired a few shots down the hall. 

"Mother fucker!" was voice lined at me.  I wasn't sure what to do. I closed the south door and then ran back to the shelter of the rock. Now what?

BOOM!  BOOM!  impact grenades (grenades with no bouncing) were landing at the rock. Fuck. I ran north, into the wood. There is concealment and another big rock up there. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM. Holy heck this guy has a lot of grenades.  You know, I don't think this is the fight for me. 

I ran back towards the power tower hill, jumping through the hole in the wall. Autofire now emanating from dorms. Maybe I'm just jumpy, but I felt like that was aimed at me.  

I want to go home. I can extract at RUAF or Crossroads. Maybe I can kill some scavs at RUAF? I headed that way. There were scav voices around the bus depot. A scav ran onto the road, I fired, he ran, I chased and fired again and he dropped. The Ash-12 isn't feeling as fluid as it normally does, but I guess I can't complain. A second scav shouted at me, I ran for the cover of the shipping crate that acts like a little tunnel to the industrial section, getting briefly caught in the barbed wire. Fortunately, he got no shots off. 

I started moving through construction, past big skeleton, heading towards little skeleton. There should be some scavs here, maybe. A scav shouted from back on the street. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Grenades on the street. Fuck. Is Mr. Grenades following me?  I do not need this. For a minute I thought of setting up on him, to take him as he came through the conex and even started moving towards that direction, but I just couldn't do it. It's just going to be some cheater who is going to kill me before he even steps out of cover. Probably that's not true, but between trying to look up my killers recently and the experience of my last raid (and maybe the one before that), my vision was colored. 

I turned around and went straight to RUAF using the route next to crack house. There was a scav moving on the other side of the wall when I approached, but he ran off. I stepped through the gap, ducked into the bushes. Seemed clear. I stepped into the open, a scav from the direction of construction shouted, I fired on him, hitting, but having a bit of trouble with the weapon. But he went down. I reloaded. Took the corner. Clear. Ran to the little wheeled power generator, a scav shouted and fired, breaking my arm and giving me a bleed. I took a painkiller and leaned out. I couldn't get the weapon trained on him. I jerked back - he fired, missing. I leaned out again, and failed to acquire my target - pulling back just in time again. I can't lean out a third time - no way. 

I ran to the extract. The scav and another opened fire, but I made it to cover and fixed the bleed just as the countdown timer expired.

Time In Raid:  19 minutes, 27 seconds
Exp: 675
Kills: Fima Essentuki and Vadimka Gruznyy  

Mistakes

• Didn't pick up even one stick of loot. Complete failure and there were plenty of opportunities
• Chickened out from fighting Mr. Grenades not once, but twice. 
• Poor weapon handling
• "Rushed" movement and not thinking calmly
• Perspective colored by recent encounters with cheater. Now I see them everywhere.
• Forgot to take screenshot of post-mortem screen with ammo/hits stats. Accuracy was pretty good, if I recall, but that doesn't seem right. 

Successes

• Survived
• Not taking the fight with Mr. Grenades was probably smart.

Raid 119 - Flight and Fight

Loadout: same, plus food and drink to replenish.

Spawned across the road in front of the customs house. Took shelter in a bush, ate, drank, waited for five minutes to tick down. Then I headed out.  Took the smugglers bridge, it seemed like someone was firing above my position as I descended, which was surprising. I hastened my pace and looped around wide before crossing the road. Also, I could hear fighting at dorms. Hmm. 

Made my way to dorms. Stopped and listened. Seemed quiet. Circled the complex. But as I did I could hear the "zzzt" sound of the lights swinging the way they do after grenades have been used. Not good. I did the same as last time, running around to the front entrance of two story dorms, but once again, heard a player moving inside. I ran by the door, not stopping, autofire blasted, missing me. I kept running. I ran all the way to the other big rock, panting, lungs on fire. 

BOOM!  A grenade my direction. I'm out. I ran to the railroad berm and followed it down and went to New Gas. 

As I approached New Gas I heard a scavvish voice. Wait a second, could that be? I carefully checked the east side of New Gas. Clear and quiet. I jumped over the barrels to get in the little wooded space between the blue metal fence and the main wall. Carefully scoped the environs. Nobody here.

I stepped up to the little gap in the blue fance, aimed down sight and slow leaned the gap. A Zavodsky!  I put the crosshair on him, adjusted for the laser, and dropped him. Yes! Hell broke lose, the Zavodskys were running my way. I went to edge of the blue fence where I could get a right lean. I right leaned and started firing on the lead Zavodsky coming my way. BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! The Ash-12 sang. But Mr. Zavodsky didn't seem to know his lines, he just kept coming. Why aren't you dead man?

There was a second Zavodsky behind him. I had to sidle a bit more out of cover to try and keep the Zavodkys eclipsing each other. BAM! The first Zavodky fell at my feet. I put the laser on the next one's chest and fired. BAM! Click!  Shit is that 10 shots already? Fuck. I fell back behind the fence. Amazingly the next Zavodsky didn't push me immediately. I reloaded and heard the sound of gasping and healing. I leaned back around aiming down sight. BAM! Richochet. BAM! He was dead. It was quiet. 

I started reloading my mags. Let's see, I just killed three Zavodkys, so how many more? Two? No just one. That can't be right, there are five of them. No, there are five including Reshala. So four Zavodsky's and one Reshala. Wrong dude! There are five Zavodsky's and Reshala, for a total of six. You are thinking Gluhar. No, Gluhar has six guards for a total of seven!

Budda Budda Budda Budda - screaming in Russian - death cries.   My inner monologue was interrupted by someone who just rushed in and killed everyone. Some fucking mega chad.  Does he know I'm here? He probably doesn't.

I dropped my crouch walk speed to the minimum and stepped towards the crack in the fence. Swish! Betrayed by a fucking plant.  Footsteps approaching. He knows I'm here now - don't wait for him, push push!

I stood and ran, not moving straight into the parking area, but jumping across the gap and cutting down the outside of the north south running blue metal fence.  A Zavodky was crouched by oil barrels, he shouted something about "McDonalds" and threw a grenade. I kept running. He fired. I dived behind the sandbags in the main road. Safe. 

Apparently I was wrong. Mega chad hadn't prevailed. I checked the roofs for snipers and then turned my attention back to New Gas. The side door was closed. That's good - Reshala is probably cowering inside. I could see the elbow area was clear. I started checking corners and sidled up to the building. Chad's body was on the ground. You know, he doesn't seem very Chaddish.  Zavodsky McDonalds is over by the oil barrels and doesn't have an angle - how'd this guy get killed?  That was a question I should have asked earlier - I looked over, under the lip of the trailer hitch crouched another Zavodsky ("see, told you there are five"). I ran. How had I missed him? His autofire tore into me. Amazingly I made it around the corner of the bus to cover. Arms blacked, thorax and head both injured badly, heavy bleed. 

And then I realized my mistake from the previous raid, when I thought was forgetting something. I forgot my AFAK, and I used my esmarch in the last raid and didn't replace it. I don't have anything to fix this bleed. I cheesed thorax and head. It's time to go. If I leave now, I should be able to reach ZB-1011 before I bleed out.

Just as I was about to go I spotted a PMC walking over the hill, approaching. I stepped back behind the bus. Did he see me? Through the windows I could just make out him taking shelter behind the little blue car. I sidled over and dropped into a bush. I aimed down sight and crept forward.  Come on, guy. Come on out and see all the goodies on the ground over here.  

Zip! Zip! Someone was firing on me. He must have seen me. I stood and jumped back to the safety of the bus. I counted four, then aimed down sight and quick leaned out. There he is! I put the reticle on him. Oh, look, he has a friend!  Budda budda budda budda.  And my raid is ended.   Just before I died, I thought I caught sight of yet another sneaking closer from Military Checkpoint, preparing to fourth party.

Time In Raid: 19 minutes, 58 seconds
Exp: 1228 (for killing three guards I expected more)
Kills (Guards): Torpeda Zavodsky, Shtopor Zavodsky, Gena Zavodsky.  Godspeed gentlemen. Thanks for the fun raid!

Shots: 32, Hits: 16 Accuracy: 0.44, Body: 926, Armor: 500 

Killed By: Onlyfan_MaoZD   .  GG Onlyfan_MaoZD

Mistakes

• didn't clear corners correctly. can't believe I overlooked him.
• grossly mistaking the situation - "mega chad" ??
• how to approach dorms if there is someone already inside? 
• there are four Zavodkys, not five.  I think Zavodsky McDonalds may have been Reshala himself. 

Successes

• killed some guards. This is the first time I've killed any of the Zavodsky's in an online raid.
• good movement to cover, in all three occurrences
• pushing when I thought there was a mega chad was good, rather than handing the initiative to someone else (a common mistake of mine)
• had fun.